1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a method for catalytic synthesis of oxygenate, and more particularly to a method for catalytic synthesis of carbon-chain-lengthened oxygenate from at least one alcohol.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, methanol raw material is low cost and its source does not rely on petroleum. Much attention has been attracted in developing a novel synthetic process from methanol, especially for an era having a sky-high oil price. Traditionally, the processes having methanol as the reactant comprise: methanol-to-hydrocarbon (MTH) process, methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) process, methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process and so forth. The products of these processes are long carbon-chain compounds without oxygen, such as alkanes, aromatics, or olefins. Although there are processes involving synthesis of esters and ethers from alcohols, there is few report on the synthesis of carbon-chain-lengthened oxygenate. In addition, the catalyst commonly used for the MTH, MTG, or MTO process is zeolite, at an operating temperature beyond 623 K. These processes are energy consuming and not economical. In light of the above background, a new catalyst and catalytic pathway to provide a method for catalytic synthesis of carbon-chain-lengthened oxygenate from alcohol are still needed to be applied in petroleum substitutes, additives, or other special chemicals so as to meet the requirements of energy saving processes.